E.J. Mills Earns First Head Coaching Victory

Making his debut in Clinton, New York, Head Coach E.J. Mills brought home a 38-0 victory to kick off Amherst's 1997 campaign. After a 7-1 finish in 1996 as the No. 4 team in New England and No. 19 in the nation, Amherst claimed the No. 2 spot in the ECAC New England poll while outside linebacker Jake Conca (Attleboro, MA) earned NESCAC Player of the Week honors for his game-high 10 tackles (7 solo) and for leadng the Jeffs' blitzing attack.

Amherst and Hamilton waged a battle of defensive attrition in the first quarter where both teams earned only three first downs in eight series. With 1:05 left in the quarter, Hamilton had gained only 16 yards of offense on four possessions when strong safety James DeLuca (Rochester, NY) intercepted a low Continental pass at the Hamilton 43 and returned it for the first Amherst score of the season.

The Jeffs maintained their defensive intensity into the next period where the Class of 2001 announced its impact on the program. Just 1:32 into the second quarter, cornerback Steve Yung (Oak Brook, IL) picked a second Hamilton pass and dodged a series of tackles down the left field line to the Hamilton 18 for a 20-yard field goal. Yung had started in place of the injured Peter McConville (Buffalo Grove, IL) along with fellow rookie Brian Daoust (Dover, MA) who registered six tackles (4 solo) in his starting debut. Classmates Matt Hall (Lincroft, NJ) and Liam Fleming (Braintree, MA) took charge of special teams as return specialist (3 punt returns for 16 yards) and kicker (5 PAT, 1 FG), respectively.

Amherst's offensive game clicked midway through the second as three-year starter Bob DiSabato (Westwood, MA) jumpstarted the Jeff running game. Earning a first down in Continental territory, the fullback set up a 43-yard lob to goal from Co-Captain Rich Willard (Johnstown, NY) to senior wideout Colin Barnacle (Denver, CO).

Defense again asserted itself 1:33 before the halftime whistle. Though Amherst did not recover the fumble forced by OLB Alex Tracy (North Easton, MA), the Jeffs blocked a Hamilton punt on the next play, where free safety Todd Nichols (Skaneateles, NY) registered a 16-yard return to the 4-yard line. DiSabato notched his first score of th season for a 24-0 halftime lead.

Seconds before the buzzer, Shaun Quigley (Chicopee, MA) caught a 37-yard pass within the Hamilton 5 and almost succeeded in crawling over the goal-line, but lost the fumble in the endzone. But the Jeffs rebounded with Barnacle's second TD of the day, a 42-yarder early in the third quarter. Quigley again came within inches of scoring in the fourth when a 51-yard throw landed him just out of bounds. Harold Henderson (Oakton, VA) and Jeff Coviello (Harrison, NY) led the ground game in the final period where Amherst gained 100 of its 192 rushing yards in over 10 minutes of possession time. Coviello rounded out Amherst scoring with a 6-yard run.

"One down, seven to go," commented Mills on the tough competition left before the end of the season. Key units for Amherst will be its tenacious defense, aggressive special teams, and a committee of versatile receivers and running backs. The Jeffs host Bowdoin College in their home opener this Saturday at Pratt Field.